


Tissues Attached To The Soul

by NIGHTMONKEY77



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Did you know Luke keeps balled/folded up tissues in his pockets?, F/M, If not then this is your introduction to the amazing topic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:55:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28507809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NIGHTMONKEY77/pseuds/NIGHTMONKEY77
Summary: Luke's beloved folded up tissues no longer have a purpose after he dies, but when he abruptly shows up in Julie's life after 25 years in limbo and starts making music again...his tissues come to have a new and much more important purpose than he ever could have expected...
Relationships: Julie Molina & Luke Patterson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 76





	Tissues Attached To The Soul

**DID YOU KNOW LUKE KEEPS FOLDED UP TISSUES IN HIS POCKETS? (Credit to the lovely Hilow 😊 for this title and for bringing this important topic to my attention)**

For as long as Luke can remember he had always kept them in the pockets of all his pants, something that hadn't changed even in death. Folded tissues ready and waiting for whenever his unfortunate chronic nosebleeds suddenly decided to interrupt his life or, on occasion, someone needed a tissue for their tears. Since he had died and become a ghost after 25 years in limbo, Luke no longer bled at all and had no need for his tissues, which like his guitar seemed to also be tied to his soul. The feeling of them folded in his back pocket provided him some comfort whenever he thought too much about the past and his death. As time went on and his thoughts were brighter and his afterlife filled with music again, thanks to Julie, Luke never again needed to use the tissues. He found himself slowly forgetting he ever had them in his pocket to begin with, their original purpose a thing of the past. Or so he thought. 

It was one day in late January and the band had just finished up rehearsal in preparation for a show they had over the weekend. Before he could finish putting his guitar in its stand and turn to face the group, Luke heard the distinctive whooshing sound of Alex and Reggie leaving. Gone like that, no 'good job today' or 'goodbye' from either boy. Alex was likely headed out to search for Willie again, like he had been doing for months, hoping their talk outside the Orpheum wasn't the last time they would ever see each other. Reggie, like clockwork, was most likely headed to see what Ray was up to and to mess with Carlos, who couldn't see him but now knew he was there.

Light shuffling and the faint sound of what he could have sworn was sniffling alerted Luke to the fact that he and Julie were the last ones in the studio. The usually upbeat Julie had been quieter than usual during practice between songs, her light dimmed and conversations she always had with the boys short and, he hated to say, robotic. It was like she was reading from a script and there was no sign of _his_ Julie in her eyes or her words. Something was bothering her and Luke was itching to know what it was. He attempted to get a reaction out of her by commenting on her performance earlier and expressing his excitement for their gig.

"Hey, Julie. Awesome job in practice today." Luke, upon getting no acknowledgement from Julie, continued. "I think with one more practice and a few changes to the set we'll be ready to blow everyone away this weekend."

This was usually when Julie would respond to Luke and they'd excitedly discuss any ideas either had for new songs they were currently writing together. However, this time Julie was silent, methodically putting her keyboard away and rearranging furniture they would tend to move so Reggie had room to rock out during practice. It seemed to Luke, that she wasn't even listening to a word he said and her mind was elsewhere. His first attempt to get Julie talking had failed, so he decided his best option was to be blunt with her and just ask what was wrong.

"Julie. Stop moving the furniture and look at me, please? You know you can tell me anything, right? So, what's up with you today?"

Luke didn't quite mean to sound so desperate or annoyed with her, but he needed Julie to focus and listen to what he needed to say. The talented, radiant girl he had come to know after spontaneously appearing in her studio all those months ago was in there somewhere and he was determined to bring her back to the surface. 

Julie finally stopped what she was doing and hesitantly turned to face Luke. It was then he saw the tears and puffiness under her eyes, a sign she had been crying and this wasn't the only time today. Instinctively Luke's hand went to his back pocket, his tissues still there, before he made his way around the coffee table, pulling Julie in for a hug. The newfound ability for Julie to be able to touch the guys after she had broken Caleb's control over them was amazing and never more so than in this moment when Julie needed comforting. Letting go, Luke pulled out his trusted tissues and offered them to Julie. With a smirk and quick chuckle Julie accepted a tissue, dabbing at the tears and wiping her nose, before her face fell again. She signaled for Luke to join her on the couch and once they were both settled and facing each other she finally spoke.

"It's the small things that remind me of her, you know? A butterfly in our garden or the almost familiar laugh of a stranger." Julie remarked. "Her birthday is actually the day of our show and sometimes I find myself wishing she was still here to see me performing with the band. To see me happy and up there on stage doing the thing we both loved so much, making music."

Julie was talking about her mom and hearing about the connection they had was still difficult for Luke, his unique relationship with his own mother finally starting to heal after 25 years of pain and loss. Her mother had passed a little over a year ago and the arrival of Luke, Reggie, and Alex in Julie's life had helped her to live again and let music back into her life. He knew from his own experiences that the pain would never completely go away. A part of Julie would always miss her mom and she would likely deal with asking herself the _what if_ questions, because when you lose someone you love there is always going to be that voice inside your head worrying about what you could have done differently in the past. Whether things could have turned out differently if only you had made a different choice when it really mattered. 

The two teens were now huddled together on the couch as Luke rubbed circles into Julie's arm, the silence in the room a welcome sound that no longer meant something negative. Rather it left room for remembering good memories from the past and looking to the future in anticipation of making new ones. The presence of Luke's treasured tissues in his back pocket a reminder of just how far he'd come and just how far he, and the band, still could and no doubt would go. No longer a thing of the past, they now had a new purpose. From this moment on Luke would always be there, tissue in hand, when any of his chosen family needed him. An item of comfort in his past, almost forgotten, the tissues now providing comfort for someone else in their time of need.


End file.
